WWTBAM Bored

What happens when a Social Justice Warrior writes about oil. I knew what I was getting when I bought "The New Wild West" about the Bakken by Blaire Briody-I am a little surprised at some of the factual errors-but, be that as it may, this early paragraph was very interesting and illustrates one reason that Trump won the election.

>>>When I first began researching this book, I knew little about the oil industry or North Dakota, I was working at a small online news site in New York City......Searching for energy wealth in sparsely populated land seemed like something out of a bygone era-a time when the US cared little about the environment or those living off the land and simply sought acreage to claim of fossil fuels to extract. I had no idea of how wrong I was. From where I was sitting in a Manhattan office building, North Dakota seemed like a forgotten state and oil a forgotten American industry."<<<<

I credit Ms Briody for going to look, but her mindset prior to researching (and that of countless of her peers) is/was that the lights just come on automatically and the fair trade coffee just shows up at the coffee shop and ....

The funny thing is that while she wrote the book about oil-she would have had had roughly the same thoughts on mining, logging, farming etc-just forgotten, meaningless industries in forgotten, meaningless places-and you wonder why Trump won.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

One factual error jumped out at me, and obviously proof readers missed it.

In background, she described the smallpox epidemic(s) that almost wiped out the Mandan.

"A smallpox outbreak tore through the area in 1837, taking half a million Indian lives."

WTF?!!Considering their were maybe 8,500 Lakota in 1805, with other tribes having similar population levels, you would have to cover a pretty large area to find a half million Indians in 1837.

A quick Google search said maybe 15,000 died along the Missouri River-basically wiping out several tribes. It is a long way from 15,000 to half a million. Did she just pull that out of her ass?

"A smallpox outbreak tore through the area in 1837, taking half a million Indian lives."

Well, if you include their potential descendents.....

Spock wrote:What happens when a Social Justice Warrior writes about oil. I knew what I was getting when I bought "The New Wild West" about the Bakken by Blaire Briody-I am a little surprised at some of the factual errors-but, be that as it may, this early paragraph was very interesting and illustrates one reason that Trump won the election.

>>>When I first began researching this book, I knew little about the oil industry or North Dakota, I was working at a small online news site in New York City......Searching for energy wealth in sparsely populated land seemed like something out of a bygone era-a time when the US cared little about the environment or those living off the land and simply sought acreage to claim of fossil fuels to extract. I had no idea of how wrong I was. From where I was sitting in a Manhattan office building, North Dakota seemed like a forgotten state and oil a forgotten American industry."<<<<

I credit Ms Briody for going to look, but her mindset prior to researching (and that of countless of her peers) is/was that the lights just come on automatically and the fair trade coffee just shows up at the coffee shop and ....

The funny thing is that while she wrote the book about oil-she would have had had roughly the same thoughts on mining, logging, farming etc-just forgotten, meaningless industries in forgotten, meaningless places-and you wonder why Trump won.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

One factual error jumped out at me, and obviously proof readers missed it.

In background, she described the smallpox epidemic(s) that almost wiped out the Mandan.

"A smallpox outbreak tore through the area in 1837, taking half a million Indian lives."

WTF?!!Considering their were maybe 8,500 Lakota in 1805, with other tribes having similar population levels, you would have to cover a pretty large area to find a half million Indians in 1837.

A quick Google search said maybe 15,000 died along the Missouri River-basically wiping out several tribes. It is a long way from 15,000 to half a million. Did she just pull that out of her ass?

I would characterize this as a New York mindset, not a Democrat or Republican mindset.

First refereed journal I saw on jstor:. Pull quote: "Before the disease burned out, the total death rate soared well into the tens of thousands..."

It wouldn't surprise me if she thinks 50,000 is half a million...

Same kind of innumeracy I see in so much reportage on mathematical and scientific issues, as well.

mrkelley23 wrote: Same kind of innumeracy I see in so much reportage on mathematical and scientific issues, as well.

....and apparently in some Detroit demolition manuals.

flockofseagulls104 wrote:

"A smallpox outbreak tore through the area in 1837, taking half a million Indian lives."

Well, if you include their potential descendents.....

No, that would be the Republican mindset....

mrkelley23 wrote:

flockofseagulls104 wrote:

"A smallpox outbreak tore through the area in 1837, taking half a million Indian lives."

Well, if you include their potential descendents.....

No, that would be the Republican mindset....

Perhaps, she was including their ancestors. That's more the Democratic style.

Spock wrote:What happens when a Social Justice Warrior writes about oil. I knew what I was getting when I bought "The New Wild West" about the Bakken by Blaire Briody-I am a little surprised at some of the factual errors-but, be that as it may, this early paragraph was very interesting and illustrates one reason that Trump won the election.

>>>When I first began researching this book, I knew little about the oil industry or North Dakota, I was working at a small online news site in New York City......Searching for energy wealth in sparsely populated land seemed like something out of a bygone era-a time when the US cared little about the environment or those living off the land and simply sought acreage to claim of fossil fuels to extract. I had no idea of how wrong I was. From where I was sitting in a Manhattan office building, North Dakota seemed like a forgotten state and oil a forgotten American industry."<<<<

I credit Ms Briody for going to look, but her mindset prior to researching (and that of countless of her peers) is/was that the lights just come on automatically and the fair trade coffee just shows up at the coffee shop and ....

The funny thing is that while she wrote the book about oil-she would have had had roughly the same thoughts on mining, logging, farming etc-just forgotten, meaningless industries in forgotten, meaningless places-and you wonder why Trump won.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

One factual error jumped out at me, and obviously proof readers missed it.

In background, she described the smallpox epidemic(s) that almost wiped out the Mandan.

"A smallpox outbreak tore through the area in 1837, taking half a million Indian lives."

WTF?!!Considering their were maybe 8,500 Lakota in 1805, with other tribes having similar population levels, you would have to cover a pretty large area to find a half million Indians in 1837.

A quick Google search said maybe 15,000 died along the Missouri River-basically wiping out several tribes. It is a long way from 15,000 to half a million. Did she just pull that out of her ass?

That looks like a job for fact checkers, not proof readers, but I agree that assuming you're right about the factual error (I'm too lazy to do the research and not sufficiently familiar with early America to know for myself whether the number is right, but your numbers seem plausible to me so I'm trusting you on this), it puts the rest of her credibility into serious question. --Bob

BackInTex wrote:

mrkelley23 wrote:

flockofseagulls104 wrote:
Well, if you include their potential descendents.....

No, that would be the Republican mindset....

Perhaps, she was including their ancestors. That's more the Democratic style.

True, very true. Especially the Chicago branch of the Mandan tribe.

Another example: John Conyers, one of the many accused of being a predator, is being drummed out of Congress. So he designates his son as his successor, as if the position is HIS. Another swamp denizen.

flockofseagulls104 wrote:Another example: John Conyers, one of the many accused of being a predator, is being drummed out of Congress. So he designates his son as his successor, as if the position is HIS. Another swamp denizen.

John Conyers cannot designate anyone as his successor. If he resigns before the end of his term, there will be a special election to choose his successor for the remainder of this term, followed by a general election in 2018 for a full two-year term. He can endorse anyone he chooses for either election and that endorsement may or may not carry weight with the voters. That's not the swamp; that's how our system works.

silverscreenselect wrote:

flockofseagulls104 wrote:Another example: John Conyers, one of the many accused of being a predator, is being drummed out of Congress. So he designates his son as his successor, as if the position is HIS. Another swamp denizen.

John Conyers cannot designate anyone as his successor. If he resigns before the end of his term, there will be a special election to choose his successor for the remainder of this term, followed by a general election in 2018 for a full two-year term. He can endorse anyone he chooses for either election and that endorsement may or may not carry weight with the voters. That's not the swamp; that's how our system works.

Thanks, Captain Obvious.

The wierd thing about the book-The New Wild West, which is billed as "The definitive account of what really happens when the energy industry is allowed to set up in a town with little regulation or oversight-and at what cost."

Is that almost 1/4 of the book is the story of Tom Stakes, a 60 YO man with decades of drugs, alcohol and homelessness behind him. He continues to make really bad choices in Williston. At one point, he is drinking a bottle of vodka a night, and for some inexplicable reason-he just can't seem to save any money.

Obviously, that is the fault of the energy companies.

A guy tried to help him out by hiring him for light consruction work and very clearly told him-"If you show up for work drunk, I HAVE to fire you. Well, he showed up to work drunk, and was fired.

I guess that is "what really happens when the energy industry is allowed to set up in a town with little regulation or oversight"-but it could also be billed as what happens when you drink a bottle of vodka every night.

Spock wrote:The wierd thing about the book-The New Wild West, which is billed as "The definitive account of what really happens when the energy industry is allowed to set up in a town with little regulation or oversight-and at what cost."

Is that almost 1/4 of the book is the story of Tom Stakes, a 60 YO man with decades of drugs, alcohol and homelessness behind him. He continues to make really bad choices in Williston. At one point, he is drinking a bottle of vodka a night, and for some inexplicable reason-he just can't seem to save any money.

Obviously, that is the fault of the energy companies.

A guy tried to help him out by hiring him for light consruction work and very clearly told him-"If you show up for work drunk, I HAVE to fire you. Well, he showed up to work drunk, and was fired.

I guess that is "what really happens when the energy industry is allowed to set up in a town with little regulation or oversight"-but it could also be billed as what happens when you drink a bottle of vodka every night.

....aaaaaand cue the Charles Grassley jokes.